


Forever

by SoDoRoses (FairyChess)



Series: LAOFT Extras [104]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Death of a Spouse, Exactly What It Says on the Tin, M/M, Parental Death, Remus is shockingly subdued in this, Reunited in the afterlife, but people are dead so i think we get a pass on OOC, remus may seem OOC, that happy ending is a little bittersweet but it will eventually be ALL happy i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23926279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyChess/pseuds/SoDoRoses
Summary: “Let us go into the dark,Not afraid, not alone.Let us hope, by some good pleasure,Safely to arrive at home,”- Go in Peace, Sam Baker
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Elliott (Cartoon Therapy), Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Linda (OFC), Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & The Dragon Witch, Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Dot (Cartoon Therapy) & Logic | Logan Sanders, Larry (Cartoon Therapy) & Logic | Logan Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders & Thomas Sanders
Series: LAOFT Extras [104]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1365505
Comments: 134
Kudos: 481





	Forever

**Author's Note:**

> takes place several hundred years after the main storyline (concrete timelines who?)
> 
> This is exactly what you think it is
> 
> I know I said I was gonna leave the afterlife thing open to interpretation but my mental health was IN the gutter when i started this, I just wanted my boys to be happy and i changed my mind - i figure it’s my house so [shrug]
> 
> (also again, i know this is something i said i wouldnt do, but please still dont send me character death prompts - this just wouldn’t leave me alone until i wrote it but it was still very difficult)
> 
> thank you to my friend Vivi (@trivia-goddess) for beta-reading and for being the first person accept being subjected to this - i appreciate it very much!!

Grandmother rarely spoke to Linda directly.

She _could_ , though Linda had been nearly a hundred years old before they’d figured it out. She remembered the day Brian died with razor-sharp clarity, and knew she would for the rest of her life, so the moment Grandmother had wrapped a tendril of black silk shadow around Linda’s wrist and crooned a mournful _Why do you grieve?_ into her mind would be there forever.

But she didn’t, usually. Only when Linda was particularly upset, though she did speak more and more the older Linda got. Papa said it might be because as Linda grew, she got closer in power and form to Vati, and perhaps Grandmother was starting to view her as something more similar to him.

But it was a perfectly normal summer afternoon, Linda trying not to encourage Percy and Remus _too_ much in their endeavor to see if they could make an aquatic species of field dodder. On the one hand, that sounded like a real quick way to wind up with an invasive species – on the other, Linda was genuinely curious if they could do it.

Grandmother’s grip was sudden, cold and firm. More like ice than Linda had ever felt it, and she blinked down at her wrist, startled.

 _Grandmother?_ She thought hesitantly.

_Come._

She tugged gently.

“What is it?” asked Linda, baffled, and her speaking captured the attention of the Summers.

_**Come now** _ **.**

Linda jumped at the sudden, slightly sharp thought, but she didn’t push again. She stood, shrugging helplessly at Percy and Remus, both of whom followed her without a word as Grandmother started to lead her deeper into the woods.

It grew quiet. Unnaturally quiet, and then the air began to chill. Linda looked around warily as they walked and the plants around them began to look wilted and bent, until they were surrounded by shriveled, frostbitten underbrush.

Linda felt like her stomach was full of lead. Percy grabbed her hand, and Linda turned to give her wife a smile she didn’t mean in the slightest.

She was turned away, so Remus saw them first.

“Oh, Snowmelt,” he said softly.

Linda spun, and let out a wounded cry.

Vati was kneeling, surrounded by ice. He held Papa in his arms, both of them still as stone sculptures, and even from here Linda could see Papa’s neck was tilted at an unnatural angle. Blood roaring in her ears, eyes burning and throat closing up, Linda couldn’t even muster the will to look around and try to figure out what had happened - whatever it was, Vati had reduced it to nothing.

“Vati?”she called, her voice painfully weak even to her own ears.

He didn’t react.

“… Papa?”

Vati moved then, a short jerk of his shoulders that could only be a silent, agonized sob.

Remus walked forward first, his face grim. Linda knew, by now, but she felt hollow and numb, unable to register it or understand the evidence of her own eyes.

But she knew, enough that she was surprised when Remus laid his hand on Papa’s wrist, his mouth going pinched.

Vati should have fought him. Fought him, or snarled, or hissed or done anything, should be fighting. But he didn’t. He didn’t react at all.

Grandmother nudged her forward.

Linda crossed the space between them, and when she kneeled down on the icy ground Remus turned and shook his head sadly.

“Hey, Vati,” she croaked.

Nothing.

“Can you look at me, please?”

Linda hadn’t heard her approach, but Percy laid her hands across Linda’s shoulders.

Slowly, Vati raised his head, blinking in an almost confused way. He looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks, even though Linda had just seen him this morning and he’d been fine. He seemed disoriented, too, and when he finally looked up and met her eyes the lump in her throat gave way completely, tears spilling over her cheeks.

His eyes were drained of nearly all their color, far more gray than violet. He was shaking now, and he looked utterly lost.

Linda didn’t like to think about it, never had. The two of them, and her, that had been enough, when they’d lost Dad and Pop. She’d hoped that eventually, when this happened, she might be enough all by herself for whichever one of them was left behind.

But she hadn’t really believed it, and she knew now she was right. Vati wouldn’t live through this. He had weeks at the most. Days, if that.

Grandmother squeezed Linda tightly around the forearm.

 _Goodbye_ , she whispered.

Swallowing firmly, Linda nodded.

“It’s okay,” she said, leaning over to kiss her father’s temple, “I understand,”

His first expression was the smallest frown.

“I… don’t know what happened,” he rasped, looking down at the smooth, expressionless face in his arms, “What- what happened-?”

“Hey, hey,” she said, bringing his attention back to her, “It doesn’t matter what happened, okay? Everything-”

It took every ounce of willpower in her body to mean it, but she managed to force the words out.

“Everything’s gonna be fine,” she whispered.

The first bit of real recognition she’d seen colored his expression, and the corner of his mouth twitched into a bitter, wry smile.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked.

“Don’t be,” she said firmly, cupping his face, and trying to smile back through her tears, “I already forgave you,”

His breath came out in a shuddering sob, and Linda kissed his temple again.

“Why don’t you lay down, Vati?”

He went without any argument, still holding Papa’s limp form in his arms. Linda laid her hand over his, and Grandmother squeezed both of them.

 _Mercy,_ she said plaintively, _**Mercy.**_

 _I know,_ said Linda.

Grandmother turned her attention to Vati, but when she spoke she must have let Linda hear her.

 _My son,_ she whispered, and this- Linda had never heard her sound like this. A real voice, not concepts and abstracts. Linda might have taken the time to be curious if this was what her grandmother had sounded like when she’d still looked like them, if she hadn’t been trying to bite back sobs.

 _My son,_ she repeated, _Give me your name._

He stared at his and Linda’s joined hands, Grandmother’s shadows spilling between their fingers.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“Hey, you spindly bastard,” said Remus, his voice full of forced cheer as he socked Vati in the shoulder.

“Stop apologizing. Didn’t you hear your spawn say everything’s gonna be fine?”

He patted Vati’s hair softly.

“Snowmelt’s waiting for you,” he said, the barest shake to his voice, “You know how he gets when we’re late, V. Time to go,”

 _Dear child,_ Grandmother said softly, _Y_ _our_ _name._

Vati took a deep breath.

_I am Virgil._

His voice echoed in Linda’s head, and she shivered – she’d never spoken to him like this.

 _Spider Prince of the Winter Court,_ he continued, _Lord of the Forest, Bruderspinne, Husband of Mortal, Witch, and Spring, Father of Autumn._

Linda’s breath hitched, and she squeezed his hand.

“I love you, Vati,” she said wetly.

“I love you, too, _liebling,_ ” he said. His voice was so weak.

 _Virgil,_ came Grandmother’s voice, solemn and achingly gentle, _Spider Prince of the Winter Court, Lord of the Forest, Bruderspinne, Husband of Mortal, Witch, and Spring, Father of Autumn._

His eyes slipped closed.

_Go home._

He went limp instantly.

Grandmother made a noise in Linda’s mind that sounded like a car crash in a blizzard, all metallic shriek and black ice, and Linda’s single, mournful wail echoed her and made Percy and Remus both flinch back from her.

“Hey, Bobby, don’t cry,” said Remus, even though his own eyes were shiny and smile brittle, “C’mon kid, you know I can’t handle it when you cry. You’re gonna make my fucking ears bleed,”

Linda snorted weakly through her tears, punching him lightly on the arm. Percy kneeled down beside her, tucking her head in the crook of Linda’s neck.

“What do you think…”

Percy trailed off, biting her lip.

“What do we do now?” she finished quietly.

Remus held out his hand expectantly, and Linda blinked at it. He shook it a little, and Linda took his hand, confused.

“First order of business,” he solemnly.

“Here before you, my lady, the Lynx Princess,” he began, and Linda almost yanked her hand back, because not _now,_ why _now,_ but Remus just squeezed her hand with a firm shake of his head.

He was right. Better to do it as soon as possible. Linda went still, trying not to think about accepting her first oath of fealty while looking down at her fathers’ bodies.

“I voluntarily swear that I, from this day forth, shall serve you faithful and true and without deception, to defend you from all malefactors and enemies, and never through will or action, through word or deed will I do anything to harm you,”

There were several moments of heavy silence, Linda breath hitching as she started and stopped several times.

“You don’t have to do it right now,” said Percy, looking at Remus for confirmation.

Linda scoffed.

“I’m not leaving him wearing half a fealty oath, P. Just… a minute, I need a minute,”

The two Summers gave her gentle squeezes, her hand and her shoulder. It wasn’t quite a minute, but Linda did manage to open her mouth and speak.

“Here before you, my knight, Remus of the Summer Court, I accept your oath and your loyalty. And since such a faithful one of mine has seen fit to swear trust and fidelity, I will protect you by my aid, and let anyone who should presume to harm you know that they will be judged guilty,”

“There,” said Remus, “Not so hard,”

Linda tried to nod and came up short. She felt her face crumple, and Remus, frowned again, reaching out to pat her hair.

“Hey, Bobby, come on. Gonna be fine, you said so, right?”

She didn’t know how she’d ever managed to say it because it was _not_ fine and Linda was actually pretty damn sure nothing was ever going to be fine ever again.

“Hey,” said Percy, elbowing Linda sharply.

Linda looked up.

Wavering, Percy glanced at the two prone figures on the ground, then back to Linda.

“Do you, uh-”

Percy swallowed, her own eyes starting to shimmer.

“Do you remember the story B used to tell?”

“Oh, you gotta be way more specific, Tadpole,” said Remus.

“The ones-”

Her voice went croaky for a moment, but she cleared her throat and continued.

“The ones about Mamaw Gage. Tending the apple trees,”

It took a moment – it had been so long, and Linda had trouble remembering Brian’s voice some days, let alone things he’d actually said – but, yes. She remembered.

Linda didn’t know if he’d believed it, or if he’d just been saying it to make her feel better. That Mamaw had an orchard after she died, wherever she was, a huge field of apple trees just like the ones that were now Linda’s. He’d “kept her updated” on what Mamaw was doing – pruning them, setting loose the ladybugs to eat the pests, picking them and climbing the ladder to do it all by herself.

It had tapered off a little as they got older, but he’d never stopped.

“Yeah?” said Linda, “What about them?”

Percy furrowed her brow, obviously thinking. For someone who didn’t even have the excuse of being raised by mortals, like Linda and – Linda’s own thoughts hiccuped over _Papa_ and she nearly burst into tears all over again – Percy had always been bad at “fae word gymnastics.” Linda would recognize Perce trying to half-lie about something anywhere.

“… Snowmelt was so good with plants,” she said finally with a shaky smile, “Wouldn’t- wouldn’t Mamaw Gage love to have help?”

Percy had never believed those stories – that someday they were all going to be together again, even though Brian had made up his mind the very first time he’d thought about it and never wavered again. Linda had never been sure, but Percy had been bitterly dismissive. Linda was fairly certain she still didn’t believe it now.

But even if it was just a story to Percy, she was still telling Linda. She was trying, and that- that was enough. Linda could believe it enough for the both of them.

“She would,” said Linda, wet and broken, “She will be. She’ll be so happy, P,”

Percy smiled, teeth sharp and expression soft, her eyes shimmering with green-tinted tears. Remus leaned over to bump his face into Linda’s hair, and Percy set her forehead on Linda’s shoulder.

“Everything is gonna be okay,” said Linda.

It wasn’t much, but she did believe it.

—

Logan was waiting.

Virgil opened his eyes, and that was the first thing he registered. The second was that they were on a beach, and that Virgil was ankle deep in seawater that was somehow not scalding his ankles from the salt.

Logan turned and looked up sadly, his arms wrapped around his knees as he sat on the pebbly shore, and Virgil felt the shame like a physical presence.

“I’m sorry,”

Logan gave him a soft, heartbroken smile.

“Don’t be,” he said quietly, “I would not have fared any better, even if I hoped you would make it,”

“You waited,”

Logan shrugged.

“I was going to give it a few days,”

Virgil hadn’t lasted one. He wasn’t even sure if he’d made it an hour. Logan didn’t point it out though, either the laughably short time frame or the cloying guilt that must surely be written all over Virgil’s face.

“Where are we?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea,” said Logan, standing and dusting the dirt off of himself. Virgil moved automatically, taking Logan in his arms and squeezing firmly. Logan was warm as spring sunlight, the lips he pressed to Virgil’s neck just above the collar of his shirt smooth and soft as flower petals. He felt _alive_ , and he didn’t complain as they stood there for long minutes, Virgil desperately trying to wipe away the memory of Logan’s still and cold body in his grip.

“I’m _sorry,_ ” Virgil repeated.

“Virgil, dear, please stop apologizing,” said Logan, nosing at Virgil’s neck.

Virgil gritted his teeth.

“I left Linda,” he croaked.

Logan tensed in his arms, but he just squeezed Virgil’s ribs tighter and didn’t say anything.

When they finally managed to let go, Logan wiped his face surreptitiously. Virgil leaned in and Logan let his eyes flutter closed so Virgil could kiss them. Virgil wished that wasn’t such a practiced motion.

Logan laced their fingers, and they walked into the trees.

Virgil was surprised when Logan started laughing, reaching up toward the leaves – the branches reached back, and Logan ran his thumb over them.

“What?”

“These are apple trees,” said Logan wistfully, “Do you remember…?”

Virgil squeezed his hand.

“Yeah, I do,” he said softly.

They kept walking, Logan still reaching up to greet the friendly branches occasionally. Aside from the fact that there only seemed to be one kind of tree, it appeared to be a rather mundane forest.

The sound of movement caught Virgil’s attention suddenly, and a second later Logan’s head jerked toward the same direction.

There was a ladder, up against a tree. Barely visible through the branches was a figure, connected to a pair of jean-clad calves and brown boots, the only thing visible.

The figure stilled, then began to climb down.

Virgil’s stomach dropped.

The red-haired woman was both a stranger and frustratingly familiar – like a face he’d made up in a dream. She blinked at them, confused, before her eyes widened enough that he could see a bright, leafy green. But that wasn’t what made Virgil freeze.

The woman was human.

“… Logan?” she said quietly.

Logan stiffened.

“Who are you?” he said, strangled and panicked.

The woman began to hurry down the ladder.

“Hey, baby, it’s okay, can you calm down for me?”

“ _Who are you?”_

She’d reached the bottom of the ladder, slowly stepping forward with her hands raised.

“Logan, please calm down. I promise everything’s fine,”

“ _Dammit-”_

“I’m Abby,” she cut him off.

Logan went still as stone. Virgil felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

“I’m not surprised you don’t remember me,” she said, smiling wryly, “Roman didn’t,”

They were both moving practically before the words were completely out of her mouth, and Virgil couldn’t even be offended at the laugh that followed them into the trees.

“Just keep going straight, sugar, you can’t miss ‘em!” she called.

Taking the advice to heart, Logan bolted ahead at a dead sprint, such a razor-straight line he was barely dodging the trees – Virgil followed so close they were nearly tripping each other, and Virgil felt clumsy in a way he hadn’t in centuries.

A rush of air – Virgil glanced up, and nearly started crying.

“Oh, of _course_ you showed up together, May is going to _skin you-_ ”

“You can _talk?”_ Virgil laughed, ducking the brush of Jax’s wings over his head.

“I’ve always been able to talk, dumbass, _you_ just weren’t listening,”

Flying ahead of them, he disappeared into the branches even as they started to thin, the paths between them widening into something more like streets. They ran past one house, and another, the space between the tree trunks continuing to open up until they were in something like a neighborhood.

Virgil heard shouting; people were coming out, people he _knew –_ he nearly ran right over _Polly,_ who managed to sock him in the arm as he passed, cheering like she was at a football game.

Logan was breathing heavily and Virgil could tell it had nothing to do with exertion – he sounded almost hysterical, and Virgil knew he was close behind.

“Would you fucking _move!_ ”

Logan froze dead, and Virgil collided with him, both of them sprawling in the dirt.

And then he was _there,_ the voice they’d heard, Roman was right there and collapsing into Virgil’s arms and fitting as perfectly as if he’d never left, like Virgil hadn’t been missing him for centuries, his hair missing all the gray and white Virgil remembered and his face any wrinkles at all-

“ _Beloved,”_ Virgil choked, broken and reverent, and Roman didn’t bother saying anything before he went about thoroughly reacquainting their mouths.

“Logan, Logan, Logan-”

Breaking apart with a gasp, Virgil turned just in time to see Patton pressing a smattering of wet, tearful kisses all over a gobsmacked Logan’s face. Roman tackled him right out of Patton’s arms onto the ground, and Patton crawled over them and into Virgil’s lap, straddling his hips and cupping his face and chanting Virgil’s name against his skin and lips, like a song Virgil had almost forgotten.

“ _Pat,_ ” sobbed Virgil.

“Oh, baby, it’s okay,” crooned Patton, kissing the tears off his face, “It’s okay, oh, _honey,_ I missed you so _much-”_

 _Missed him_ couldn’t even cover it – there were no words for how much Virgil had ached for them for so _many_ decades, nothing that came close. Virgil couldn’t speak at all, let alone try to make Patton understand that Virgil hadn’t dared to even dream he’d ever see his mortal husbands again – he could only press their faces together and grip desperately at Roman’s hand, praying it made sense to them.

“ _Berry!”_

Logan made a wounded, hollow noise, and Roman scrambled off of him as Thomas skidded to his knees and wrapped Logan in a hug so tight it was like he was trying to pull Logan right inside his rib cage. Logan’s breath came in huge, hiccuping gasps, curling up in his brother’s arms and clinging to his shirt so tightly it seemed like he never intended to let go.

Someone laid a hand gently on Virgil’s head, and he looked up.

Greta and Elliot were hand in hand, Greta’s fingers resting lightly on his hair. Elliot gave him a wave, grinning, and Greta looked deeply smug.

“There’s my favorite worrywart,” she teased, “You certainly took your sweet time getting here,”

“ _Greta!”_ said Elliot, exasperated.

“Oh, how long are you going to make me wait to make dead jokes, Elliot?”

A cold, wet nose sniffed at the back of Virgil’s neck, making him laugh through his tears, and in the corner of his eye he saw Dizzy curl up in Logan’s lap.

“Hello, _Bruderspinne,_ ” said Ritter, coming around to lay his head on Virgil’s thigh, “What Greta is _trying_ to say is that we missed you very much,”

“He knows that,” she scoffed.

Virgil reached for both of them with an almost childish noise, and Greta’s face went from teasing to soft.

“Yes, yes, we’re all very emotional,” she said, waving her hand, like Virgil was blind as well as deaf and couldn’t see her shiny eyes or the crack in her voice.

Greta and Elliot flopped to the ground and let him tuck them both up against his chest, sniffing and pressing kisses the crowns of their heads one after the other. Patton shuffled over to give them room, beaming even with tears still streaming down his face, one hand holding tight to Virgil’s and the other clutching Logan’s shirt. Roman had hold of Logan, too, and leaned over to press his forehead to Virgil’s shoulder, shaking.

 _I love you,_ Virgil mouthed, over and over, into his siblings’ hair and over their heads at Patton and Roman, his voice still lost somewhere in his ribs.

Somehow, he got the feeling they heard him anyway.

—

Logan had spent hours clinging to Thomas. If someone had asked him yesterday, he would have told them the spot in his soul from where his brother had been torn away from him was long since scarred, but today he’d understood that he’d somehow just learned to ignore it. He’d been suffocating, and he hadn’t even known.

When he’d finally managed to let go, there were Roman and Patton, waiting patiently. Roman had taken Logan’s hands and kissed his knuckles just the same as that first day, so, _so_ long ago, and Patton crooned _I love you’s_ into Logan’s skin in a voice that Logan had never heard a match for in all his years, sweet and perfect.

There had been his parents, squishing him between them like Logan was a little kid and kissing his temples, their hair free of gray and their faces smooth and shining with adoration. It had been another hour before he’d managed to break their embrace.

And May, with a long crimson braid and so young she was almost unfamiliar, who’d scolded them like Jax predicted for all of thirty seconds before she burst into tears and tugged them down to her level to kiss their faces and wipe their tears with her smooth, unwrinkled hands.

Later, the four of them crawled into their bed - “It’s always been this size,” said Patton wetly, “Too big for just us,” - and for the first time in centuries Logan felt the balance he’d missed so desperately. Warmth and heat, coolness and chill. The bed already smelled right, even though Virgil and Logan hadn’t been here a day.

“Never leave again,” he whispered wetly.

“ _Never,_ ” said Roman, mouth pressed to the back of Logan’s neck, “Never, Lo, I swear,”

Patton just leaned over Virgil’s chest where he lay flat on his back and kissed Logan so firmly he saw stars.

And then all at once, the relief tipped over into grasping, _cloying_ need – Logan dragged Patton forward, scrambling at his shirt and winding fingers through his hair, the texture of the curls somehow still familiar after all these years. Roman’s mouth moved to press a searing, open-mouthed kiss to Logan’s shoulder, and Virgil shifted to wrap his arms over all three of them like he never intended to let go.

Logan felt frantic and desperate and undone, but Patton just laced their fingers together over Logan’s stomach and ran a soothing thumb over the crest of Logan’s cheek.

“Easy, sweetie, it’s okay,” he said, murmuring the words into Logan’s mouth, “We have forever,”

For not nearly the first time that day, Logan’s eyes spilled over with tears, and Patton bent to kiss every one of them.

“Forever,” breathed Logan.

“Mhm,” hummed Patton, smiling

Patton’s lips met his again, and Logan couldn’t help but smile back.

Forever… forever sounded _wonderful_.

**Author's Note:**

> phew. okay. still good? everything's gonna be okay
> 
> so this was partially "i cant do my boys dirty and not reunite them" and partially a bit of an "out damned spot" thing where it would not leave me alone until i wrote - trust me, we are ALL crying here
> 
> you can also find me over on tumblr at @tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [And Ever](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23945986) by [IronWoman359](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronWoman359/pseuds/IronWoman359)




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